The Shadows Among Us
by Elizabeth Bathory
Summary: This is a prequel to the Black Rose - showing what happened the first time Domenica told Severus she loved him.


The Shadows Among Us

By Elizabeth Bathory

DISCLAIMER:  _All unrecognized characters are original.  The characters from Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros., etc...  By no way is this work being used for profit._

Author's Notes:  This fic is sort of a prequel to the Black Rose and goes along the same lines.  The character Domenica Knight was established in most of my other Harry Potter fics.  I want to continue this story but I need your help to continue it…leave your ideas in reviews.

It was a terribly rainy Saturday night in June when eighteen year old Domenica Knight crept down from the Gryffindor Tower down to the Slytherin Dungeons under her Cloak of Shadows, even though it was hardly necessary.  It was the last weekend before finals and nearly every student who was old enough had gone to Hogsmeade and taken rooms to have one last celebration before the stress had overwhelmed them.

But then there was the reason that Domenica Knight was sneaking down to the Slytherin Dungeons, Severus Snape.  Instead of going to Hogsmeade, where he was decidedly unwanted by most of the other seventh years, he had stayed behind to get some rest after just recently recovering from a slight cold.

Domenica waited silently by the portrait guard until some mindless first year opened it and she snuck in without being noticed.  Under her cloak, she moved silently across the floor and down the boys' hall to the seventh years' dorm.  Domenica opened the door as quietly as she could because she knew Severus was a light sleeper when he slept at all.

Domenica closed the door silently behind her as she removed her cloak.  In the dim fire light of the room and with the occasional lightening flash, she found Severus sound asleep in his bed, snoring softly.  As she walked to the side of his bed, Domenica saw that he only had his light sheet over him and that was only up to his waist, leaving his upper body completely bare.

Domenica sat down on the edge of his bed, watching his chest move up and down as he slept.  She couldn't help but admire they body of a boy who most took for being a scrawny potions nerd.  Now, Domenica knew that Severus wasn't overly athletic so his well formed physique had to be attributed to good bloodlines.  But admiration was not the reason for Domenica risking life and limb to sneak into the Slytherin dorms as she inched closer and brushed a bit of soft, black hair from Severus' face.

Severus stirred sleepily under the gentle touch and his eyes opened slightly.  "What are you doing here, Domenica?" he asked in a sleepy baritone voice that Domenica had grown to love over the last few years.

"I came to see you," Domenica whispered as she gave him a soft smile.

Severus woke up quite a bit more and pulled himself up into a sitting position at that statement.  Those were a few of the words which he had wanted to hear since his first year when he met the dark haired Gryffindor Lioness in their first year potions class.  "You're not afraid of what your wretched friends are going to say?" he asked with a bite in his voice that he wished wasn't there to a girl he loved more than life itself.

Domenica brought her legs up and tucked them underneath her as she sat right next to him.  "My friends' opinions have no pull on what my heart feels," Domenica stated with conviction.  "And my heart says that I love you and I always have," she added as she leaned in and placed a deep kiss on Severus' lips.

Severus' mind ceased to function the moment Domenica's lips touched his.  His eyes closed and his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss and making it more passionate and whispering 'I love you' when they broke to take a breath.

With the verbal exchange of their love and the passion in Severus' kiss led Domenica to become a bit bolder.  She pulled the sheet down off of his legs to reveal the bottoms of his pajamas and then, without letting her eyes leave his, straddled Severus' legs and pressed her body against his as she passionately kissed his soft lips.

Severus was completely taken back by Domenica's boldness but also very turned on by it.  With one arm, he pulled her body closer to his while his other slid slowly up the bare skin of her right leg.  Severus kissed Domenica deeply as his hand went up her thigh and slipped under her skirt to her hip.  But his eyes widened with surprise and he broke the kiss when he felt only bare skin when he caressed her rear.

"I have never done this before…" Severus quietly admitted.

"Neither have I…but we can learn together," Domenica said with a hint of seduction in her voice as she slipped her hand in between them and down his stomach and underneath his pajamas and underclothing to caress him between his legs.

Severus gasped slightly when he felt her hand on him but then his already aroused state increased ten fold.  He then let the hand that was holding her close to him drift to where he could caress her breast through the thin fabric of her shirt.

Domenica savored every touch but she wanted more.  She wanted to feel Severus' skin next to hers.  She broke from the kiss and pulled away slightly and slowly began to unbutton her sleeveless top, luring him in even further with every pop.  When the last button was undone, Domenica let the shirt fall off her shoulders and onto Severus' bed, revealing her simple beige bra.

As she unhooked her bra and slipped it off, Severus took off his pajamas and underclothes and shifted Domenica so she was lying on his bed and began to caress her bare skin with sensual tenderness as he reclaimed her lips in a kiss.  As his hands moved down her body, her skirt was the last barrier in between them.

"This is in the way…" he whispered.

"Then get rid of it…" Domenica replied with a smirk.

Severus first tried to get the button undone but could not accomplish the simple task in his highly aroused state.  To remedy the situation, he grabbed his wand from the nightstand and charmed it off, leaving her skin completely open to his touch.

Domenica let her hands roam freely down Severus' back as her legs fell open to his caresses in between them, arousing her to the point of madness.  "Severus…" Domenica whispered.  One word begging him for release.

Severus knew what she wanted – what they both wanted – and was more than willing to comply.  He shifted his body so he was between her legs and slowly entered her.  Domenica gasped at the feeling when their bodies became one and then wrapped her legs around his hips as she began to rock her pelvis with Severus' thrusts inside her.  She felt her body responding so quickly and she knew she couldn't hold back as her body gave into extreme ecstasy.  Severus had never known such a feeling in his life when he felt Domenica latch on to him tighter when she hit her orgasm.  It was so powerful that it sent him hurdling over the edge and he exploded inside of her and then collapsed exhausted next to her.

Domenica relaxed her body and gently stroked Severus' hair as he lied next to her, nearly asleep.

"I love you…" he whispered as he kissed her cheek gently.

"I love you too," Domenica said as she summoned the sheet up around them.  "But we can't tell anyone.  No one will understand."

Severus sighed deeply at the statement since he knew it was true.  "Then the shadows can be our world…until they will accept us."

"We'd be living a lie and we would never even be able to show our affection for each other," Domenica protested as he voice filled with sadness.

Severus lifted his head and placed a deep kiss on her lips to silence her.  "It wouldn't be a lie but a secret, passionate romance that everyone will be jealous of," he said as he laid back down and eased Domenica down next to him.  "Now, sleep my love," he whispered through kisses.  Domenica gave him a small smile before she kissed him one last time and fell asleep in his arms with Severus following quickly after.

The next morning Severus awoke to find his bed empty and a note on his pillow.  He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he picked up the parchment which bore the scent of Domenica's perfume.

"Severus,

Meet me outside the Great Hall by ten.  We'll go to Hogsmeade on our own and not give a damn what everyone thinks.  Don't wear anything with Slytherin on it and people may believe we have already graduated.  I love you.

Domenica"


End file.
